Wire-bound box and process of manufacturing thereof.



L-MILLEIL I. WIRE souwo BOX AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE THE'REUOF.

APPLICATION FlLED DEC. 4.1916- Patentd Apr. 16,1918.

I INVEN-TORL ATTORNEY JULIUS J'. MILLER, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

WIRE-BOUND BOX AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE THEREOE- I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1.918.

Application filed December 4, 1916. Serial No. 135,035.

To aZZ wh0m it may concern: v

Be it known that I, JULIUS J. MILLER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of St. Joseph, Berrien county, Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Wire-Bound Boxes and Processes of Manufacture Thereof, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boxes or crates or other receptacles of that kind in which there are four sides which are secured to rectangular end walls, and in which cleats are provided for reinforcing the ends of the box alongthe edges of the side walls, binding wires being provided'for the outer surface of the box, and these wires encircling the box or crate to give it greater strength when loaded.

My invention is designed as an improveinent on the constructionand process shown and described in Patent No. 1,208,297, granted to Edward Craig December 12, 1916.

Qne object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement, and an improved or novel process of manufacture, whereby a box blank is made by securing some ,of said cleats thereto in such a manner that each box side-section of the blank is provided with a cleat at only one end thereof, so that the cleats are in parallel rows having gaps therein, and the gaps of one row being opposite the cleats of the other row, the cleats being thusarranged in staggered relation to each other on the inside surface of the flexible box blank, so

that the sheets of veneer will each have suflicient reinforcement to prevent objectionable warping thereof when the blanks are stored or shipped, and whereby some of the cleats need not be attached to either the flexible blank or the end walls, during the construction of the box or crate, but are simply allowed to remain separate and unattached until they are inserted in the gaps of the rows of cleats on the blank, being held in place by the tongue and groove or other suitable. formation by which the ends of the cleats are interlocked, or by the hands of the person who is manipulating the box, so that all of the cleats for reinforcing the edges of the blank may be secured to the end walls at the same time, bytheuse of an end stapler in the usual and well-known manner, and notwithstanding that the blank is made without the'necessity of positioning the cleats thereof end to end and in precise relation to each other, or whereby some of the cleats may be secured to the end walls in position to occupy said gaps when the blank and the end walls are thereafter assembled and fastened together.

It is also an object to provide an improved construction and arrangement and method of manufacture which will obviate the necessity of using certain features of construction and methods of manufacture and machines which were heretofore considered necessary in the production of wire-bound boxes .of this particular character.

box, to fill'the gaps in the rows of cleats on the blank.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the box in partially completed condition, showing the blank folded partly'around the end wall.

. Fig. '6 is a perspective of the complete box.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line 7-7 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective of an end wall with two cleats 19 and 20 secured thereto, which cleats will fill the gaps in one of the rows of cleats on the blank, if it is desired to construct the box in this way. In such case, a similar box end E will be used at the other end of the box, but the cleats 19 and 20 at one end will, of course, extend at right. angles to the cleats 19 and 20 at the other end of the box, because of the staggered relation of the cleats on the blank.

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a box-blank A composed of four box side sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 which are each rectangular in shape, being made of wood veneer or other suitable sheet material, and which sections are flexibly connected together by the parallel binding wires 5, 6 and 7 applied to the outer. surface of theblank and connected thereto by staples 8 in the usual and well-known manner. Upon the inside surface of the blank, at the side edges thereof, cleats 9, 10, 11 and 12 are secured in place by said staples.- It will be seen that cleat 9 is at one end of the box side section 1, and that cleat 10 is at the opposite end of box side section 2, cleats 11 and 12 having a similar relative arrangement, whereby cleats 9 and 11 are at one side edge of the blank and cleats-1O and 12 at the other side edge thereof. In this way, the four cleats are arranged in parallel rows, with two gaps in each row, and with the members of the rows having a staggered relation to each other, so that the cleats at one side are opposite the gaps at the other side, and vice versa, thereby providing a blank in which each box side section is provided with at least one cleat, so that each section is stiffened against warping. These cleats are provided, preferably, with a tongue 13 at one end and a groove 14 at the other end, which is a common formation for the cleats in a box of this kind. The end walls of the box may be'like the one shown in Fig, 2, in which case the complete rectangular wall is composed of three strips of veneer or other sheet-material 15, 16 and 17 connected together by a batten or cross-piece 18, so that v the complete head or end wall B is provided with four straight edges to engage the inside surface of the box-blank. Additional cleats C and D, of the same tongue and groove or any other suitable formation, are provided to fill in the gaps in the two rows of cleats on the blank, just before the blank is folded around the end walls, these loose or separate cleats being merely placed in inter-locking relation to the other cleats, or held in place by the hands of the person who is manipulating the box-blank around the end walls. (See Fig. 5.) TVhen the blank is entirely folded around the end wall at one end of the box, so that three of the cleats are in proper position at right angles to each other,'leaving the fourth box side section open to form the cover of the box, the

. partially form ed box is then operated upon by the usual or ordinary end stapler to secure the end wall to the three cleats which are at right angles to each other, and the cleat of the fourth box section, if a loose cleat, need not be adjusted in position or fastened to either the blank or the end wall until after the-box is filled and the cover is to be closed; but if this fourth cleat is one of those which has been previously fastened to the blank, then it remains unattached to the end wall until after the cover is closed. In fact, there are Various ways in which the loose cleats C and D can be manipulated or introduced in position at one time or another to fill the gaps in the rows of cleats on the blank, and the invention is not limited to naeaese any particular way of doing this. In any event, though, the manufacture of the boxblanks does not involve any end-to-end arrangement of the cleats, thus obviating'the use of devices and machines which have been used for this purpose and which were re-. garded as necessary for the production of wire-bound boxes of this kind.

When end walls E of the kind shown in Fig. 8 are used, the blank A will be folded around these end walls, so that the cleats of the blank inter-lock with the cleats of the end walls, and the ends of the binding wires 5, 6 and? can then be twisted together, after the box is filled and the cover is closed, and the end walls will hold themselves in place without the necessity of the end-stapling operation by which the cleats of a box of this kind are usually secured to the end walls. This, it will be seen, is because of the fact that the end walls have been fastened to two of the cleats, and when these two cleats are inter-locked at their ends with the cleats which have been fastened to the blank, the two end walls are thereby held in position. But, of course, staples or other fastening devices can be inserted to secure the cleats of the blank to the end walls, and to secure the cleats of the end walls to the blank, in any suitable or desired manner.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the invention contemplates not only the use of a zigzag or staggered relation of the cleats on the inside surface of the blank (so that although each box side section is provided with a cleatreinforcement, still there is no end-to-end arrangement of the cleats), but also a process of manufacture which involves the use of loose or unattached cleats to fill in gaps in the rows of cleats on the blank, and with this method it will be seen that some of the cleats are attached neither to the blank nor to the end wallsthat is.

cleats to the end walls, before the blank is folded around the end walls, notwithsta id mg the fact that only some'of the cleats are secured to the blank during the making thereof. It will be understood, of course, that after the box is filled and the endsaof" the, wires twisted together, the box, sides can be nailed to the cleats, particularly theloose cleats which were not fastened to either the end walls or the box-blank. This process or method obviates the use of devices and machines for positioning cleats end-to-end on theblank, during the making of the blank,

and also obviates the necessity of aseparate' which involves the use of the end walls B and the loose cleats C and D, or the method which involves the use of the finished end walls E, and in either case the construction of the blank will involve the flexible connection together of a plurality of box side sections which are all provided with cleats secured thereto 0n the inside surface thereof. But, on the other hand, it will be under- .stood that the cleats which are secured to the blanks can be arranged in any suitable manner thereon, so far as the method of usingvloose cleats (cleats which are secured neither to the blank nor tothe end walls until after they are placed in the gaps in the rows of cleats on the blank) is concerned. In any event, though, each box side-section has at least one cleat to stiffen the veneer against Warping While in storage or while being shipped.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The. process of making a wire-bound .box having cleats at the ends thereof, which comprises the making of a flexible blank by securing parallel continuous binding wires to the outside of the box-side-sections, to flexibly connect the sections together and provide the encircling wire binding for the box, and securing some of said cleats to the inside, of the blank, thereby forming parallel rows of cleats with gaps therein, with the gaps of one row opposite the cleats of the other row, so that each box-side-section will have reinforcement to prevent'warping thereof before the blank is used, and thereafter securing the remaining cleats in said gaps and'closing the ends of the box with end walls, said remaining cleats being unattached to said end walls until after the folding of the blank around the end walls.

2. The process of making a wire-bound box having cleats at the ends thereof, which comprises themaking of a flexible blank by securing parallel continuous binding wires to the outside of the box-side-sections, to flexibly connect the sections together and provide the encircling Wire binding for the box,

and securing some of said cleats to the inside of the blank, thereby forming parallel rows of cleats with gaps therein, with the gaps of one row opposite the cleats of the other row, so that each box-side-section will have reinforcement to prevent warping,

thereof before the blank is used, and there after securing thet remaining cleats in said gaps and closing the ends ofr the box with end walls, all of said cleatsbeing unattached to said end Walls until after the-introduction of said remaining cleats in position to fill the gaps in said rows.

3. Theprocess of making a wire-bound box having cleats at the ends thereof, which comprises the making of a flexible blank by securing parallel continuous binding wires to the outside of the box-side-sections, to flexibly connect the sections to ether and provide the encircling wire bindmg for the box, and securing some of said cleats to the inside of the blank, thereby forming parallel rows of cleats with gaps therein, with the gaps of one row opposite the cleats of the other row, so that each box-side-section will have reinforcement to prevent warping thereof before the blank is used, and thereafter securing the remaining cleats in said gaps and closing the ends of the box with end walls, all of said cleats being unattached to said end walls until after the introduction of one or more of said remaining cleats in position to fill one or more of the gaps in i said rows.

I 4. The process of making a wire-bound box having cleats at the ends thereof, which comprises the making of a flexible blank by securing parallel continuous vbinding wires to the outside of the box side-sections, to flexibly connect the sections together and provide the encircling wire binding for the box, and securing some of said cleats to the inside of the blank, thereby forming parallel rows of cleats with gaps therein, with the gaps of one row opposite the cleats of the other row, so that each boX-side-section will have reinforcement to prevent warping thereof before the blank is used, and thereafter securing the remaining cleats in said gaps and closing the ends of the box with end walls, one or more of said remaining 'cleats being unattached to said end walls until after the introduction-thereof in posi- 7 tion to fill one or more of the gaps in said rows.

Q 5. Means to form a cleat-reinforced-box comprising a foldable blank having the boxside-sections thereof reinforced by parallel longitudinal rows of cleats, with gaps in said rows, the gaps of one row being oppositethe cleats of the other row, so that each.

said rows, said other cleats being unattached i to said .end walls and adapted for loose insertion in said gaps-preliminary to or during the folding of said blank. 7

6. Means to form a cleat-reinforced-box comprising a foldable blank having the boxside-sections thereof reinforced by parallel longitudinal rows of; cleats, with gaps in said rows, the gaps of one row being opposite the cleats of the other row, so that each blank is folded around said end walls, the

cleats of the blank'being shaped to inter lock at their ends with the ends of the other cleats. a

7. Means to form a cleat-reinforced-box comprising a foldable blank having the boxside-sections thereof reinforced by parallel longitudinal rows of cleats, with gaps in said rows, and end walls to close the ends of the box and other cleats to fill the gaps in said rows, the gaps of one row being opposite the cleats of another row, thereby to provide each box-side-section with at least one cleat to prevent warping thereof before the blank is used.

8. Means to form a cleat-reinforced-box comprising a foldable'blank having the boxside-sections thereof reinforced by parallel longitudinal rows of cleats, With gaps in said rows, and end Walls to close the ends of the box and other cleats to fill the gaps in said rows, each gap extending entirely across one box-side-section, and each cleat of one row being opposite a gap in another row, whereby each boX-side-section is stifiened against warping, and so that said boxside-sect-ions are each provided with a cleat at one side edge of the blank and a gap at the other side edge,

9'. The process of making a wire-bound box having cleats at the ends thereof, which comprises the making of a flexible blank by securing parallel continuous binding wires to. the outside of the box-side-sections, to

flexibly connect the sections together and provide the encircling Wire binding for the box and securing some of said cleats to the inside of the blank, thereby forming parallel rows of cleats with gaps therein, arranging said cleats so that the gaps of one row,

are directly opposite the cleats of another row, thereby to provide each of said boxside-sections with at least one cleat, whereby each box-side-section is stiffened against warping, and thereafter securing the remaining cleats in said gaps and closing the ends of the box with end walls.

Signed by me at St. Joseph, Michigan, this 20th day of Nov. 1916.

JULIUS J. MILLER.

' Witnesses:

JOHN F. lFnoRm, ALBERT C. TILLY. 

